EL PASO – UTEP Men’s Basketball Head Coach Joe Golding announced the signing of Kevin Kalu on Thursday.
Kalu is a 6-foot-9 big man from Baltimore, Md., and will be immediately eligible beginning in the 2021-22 season as a true freshman.
Kalu was named the BCL Defensive Player of the Year, and according to Prep Hoops, “was a guaranteed double-double every time he took the floor.” Following his shortened senior season due to COVID restricting the schedule, Kalu competed in the summer with AAU’s Team Melo 17U, the Elite Youth Basketball League team sponsored by Carmelo Anthony.
A profile on Kalu and a quote from Golding follows below.
Kevin Kalu
6-9, Forward
Freshman
Our Lady of Mount Carmel School
Baltimore, Md.
Named BCL Defensive Player of the Year … earned second team All-BCL honors … averaged 16 points, 16 rebounds and 3.0 blocked shots per game … registered 19 points and 19 rebounds against Calvert Hall … scored 18 points with 13 rebounds and four blocked shots against Loyola Blakefield … tallied multiple games of 20-plus rebounds … scored 10 points with four rebounds while with Team Melo versus Drive Nation (TX) … blocked four shots against Meanstreets EYBL (IL) … grabbed 13 offensive boards in 12 games with Team Melo.
“Kevin comes to us from one of the elite AAU Basketball programs in the country in Team Melo. He runs the floor extremely hard for his size and plays the game with a constant high motor. He rebounds the ball at a high level, and has a college ready body right now. Our staff is excited to get Kevin here at UTEP and continue to develop him. He is a high-character young man that will represent our program in a first-class manner.”
Head Coach Joe Golding on Kalu